Matairi, la. – The New Orleans Saints will be without their two top receivers against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Michael Thomas has been ruled out with a hamstring injury that erupted this week. In addition to his previous leg injury. And Emanuel Sanders will lose the game after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, coach Sean Petone told reporters on Friday.
Sanders practice Wednesday and Thursday. But Peton said he began experiencing symptoms of the virus Thursday afternoon, so the Saints sent him to his doctors for additional testing, which turned out to be positive. It will now be placed in the Reserve / Covid-19 list.
Patten, who spoke after Friday’s practice, said the team also tested about 20 others who may be close to Sanders, and all of them tested negative. Patton, however, said that reserve cornburk Ken Crowley would be added to the reserve / COVID-19 list as a precaution due to his close contact.
Patton said Sanders “got this home” and “knows exactly how he got it,” although he gave no specific details.
Sanders is now the second Saints player to test positive this season after spending time at training camp by Dwayne and season Washington and at the start of the season on the reserve / covid-19 list. The Saints also underwent a false-positive test on Saturday night before winning Week 4 in Detroit, which required backup tests at their team hotel late into the night of their game.
“This year is part of the deal. We’ve talked about disruptions and focusing on things you can handle,” Patton said. “It’s just 2020.”
Patton declined to comment on Thomas’ condition when the team released its updated injury report, saying the hamstring injury “does something.” Thomas was absent from the opening part of Friday’s practice which was open to the media, then he did not study on Thursday and it was limited to Wednesday.
Sanders, an 11-year veteran who signed with the Saints in free agency, began making connections with quarterback Drew Bryce in recent weeks, after a slow start to the season. Sanders caught a career-high 12 passes for 122 yards in Week 5.
This will now be the fifth game in a row that Thomas missed after suffering a long-term ankle injury in Week 1 and was benched for the team’s disciplinary reasons in the 5th week after a practice boycott in which he punched teammate CJ Gardner-Johnson.
Thomas appeared to have recovered from a leg injury before the incident in Week 5. But a hamstring injury was the new disease that first appeared in an injury report on Wednesday.
New Orleans also put backup receiver Benny Fower on the injured reserve with a shoulder injury on Friday, which means he won’t be part of the settlement.
The Saints rely heavily on Jared Cook and receiver Tre’quan Smith for a tight end in their passing game, possibly running back Alvin Kamara. Other options could include receivers Dionte Harris, Marquis Callaway, Austin Care and Juan Johnson; Running behind Latavius Murray; Quarterback / runner / receiver Tessam Hill and tight end Josh Hill and Adam Trottman.
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